Citation

Sabey BE. J. Traffic Med. 1977; 5(1): 20-21.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1977, International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Between 1974 and 1976, an in-depth study was made of a representative sample of injuries to vehicle occupants in 1,126 accidents. The accidents were those in which at least one person had attended one, large, accident hospital i.e., they included all injury accidents in the locality except the very minor ones. By identifying all vehicle occupants in these accidents (whether injured or not), their seating positions, and their seat-belt-usage, it was possible to assess relative risks of injury and different characteristics of injury for belted and unbelted persons. The total sample amounts to 2,879 vehicle occupants, including 1,100 who were uninjured. For the assessment of seat-belt injuries, the comparisons were restricted to front-seat occupants of cars, of whom 490 were wearing seat belts and 1,163 were not, with 303 cases in which belt wearing was not known. The injuries were classified according to the internationally used 'Abbreviated Injury Scale' (AIS) and, where possible, the vehicles involved were examined to establish causes and mechanisms of injury.